Milwaukee Habitat and Lowe’s have teamed up to provide extensive work through a “ROCK THE BLOCK” program, a volunteer event built on our mission to reconnect the community through repair and neighborhood beautification projects.
Over 80 Lowe’s Employees From Across the Region Volunteered!
Milwaukee Habitat is one of 1,400 affiliates from across the country who was awarded a $250,000 grant from Lowe’s for neighborhood revitalization projects in the Washington Park neighborhood. As a purpose-driven home improvement company, Lowe’s help aligns community giving and volunteer efforts with programs and partnerships that complement their core business. As a national partner since 2003, each year they support programs that help to rebuild and improve neighborhoods and provide relief to communities in need.
This grant will help fund the following projects:
- The renovation of six homes for families in need of decent, affordable housing.
- The repair of at least 10 homes
- Improvements to the Washington Park pool building
- Speed humps on five residential streets
- Alley garage lighting on 40 properties.
- Community garden signage
- Fifty raised garden beds through partnership with Victory Garden Initiative
- Gardening and lawn care workshops for homeowners
- Foreclosure prevention for homeowners through tax loans
- Updates to the Washington Park Sustainable Community Plan
The grant will also fund a “Rock the Block” event where neighborhood residents and volunteers come together to transform the face of a block in just one day! More than 100 volunteers converged on the 2100 block on 39th Street to help with the 
transformation on 20 homes in the Washington Park neighborhood on June 29th, 2016. In a neighborhood where the median household income is 49% lower than the national average, too often there is no money left for this type of maintenance.
Rock the Block is part of Milwaukee Habitat’s five-year neighborhood revitalization strategy, now in its fourth year. Neighborhood Revitalization serves more families by responding to community aspirations with an expanded array of products, services and partnerships, empowering residents to revive their neighborhoods and enhance their quality of life.
Other groups who have joined Neighborhood Revitalization projects include Wells Fargo, Thrivent Financial, FIS, VIctory Garden Initiative, Washington Park Partners and Melinda Myers, nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist.
This was the first of three “Rock the Block” events Milwaukee Habitat will conduct throughout the summer in an effort to repair 60 homes this year.
2016 Dates: June 29, August 13 and September 13
To find out how to get involved with this or other Rock the Block events contact:
Beth Van Gorp, Volunteer Services Director at 414-316-5615 or bvangorp@milwaukeehabitat.org.